Audio sound quality enhancement apparatus

ABSTRACT

An audio sound quality enhancer which provides a transparent sound quality, using solid-state devices, which has previously been available only in vacuum tube audio systems. The invention comprises at least one solid-state component in the audio signal path of an audio circuit, and at least one heat source configured to heat the solid-state components. The invention increases the sound quality of solid-state audio systems by increasing the temperature of the semiconductor components involved in sound production. By intentionally heating the semiconductor components of an audio system above standard operating temperatures, the invention delivers sound quality levels normally only associated with vacuum tube sound systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention pertains generally to devices, assemblies andsystems for sound reproduction and/or recording, and more particularlyto an audio sound apparatus which provides enhanced sound quality bymaintaining one or more solid-state components at elevated temperatureduring sound reproduction.

2. Description of the Background Art

Before the mid-1960s, vacuum tubes were the technology used for audioamplification. Various tubes were developed for radio, television,radar, RF power, audio and specialized applications. Over severaldecades of design, with a limited selection of tubes, a few standarddesigns for audio amplification evolved. Tube power amplifiers consistedtypically of a preamplifier stage to increase the voltage signal, and anoutput stage to provide power amplification. The output impedance of atube amplifier without any feedback or transformers in the circuit islimited by the characteristics of tube technology to tens or hundreds ofohms. Output transformers are usually used to lower this outputimpedance to provide good power transfer to low impedance loads, such asloudspeakers.

The semiconductor (transistor) revolution provided immediate advantagesto the power amplifier industry over existing vacuum tube systems.Semiconductor systems are small, reliable, and they dissipate far lessheat than vacuum tubes. Furthermore, transistors can be low voltagedevices with low inherent impedances that eliminate the need for audiooutput transformers. This greatly reduces potential cost, and eliminatesthe distortion effects and bandwidth limitations of the transformer. Themajority of systems and devices which at one-time relied on vacuum tubeshave been converted to semiconductors, leaving only a few vacuum tubetypes manufactured and in regular use, predominantly in the high-endaudio field.

Despite 35 years of transistor technology, and the apparently simpletask of amplifier design, there is no standardization within theindustry. Audio experts have come to recognize that all audio deviceshave inherent distortions to which the human ear is remarkablysensitive. The conventional measures of total harmonic distortion (THD)and frequency response have proven to be inadequate in comparing oneamplifier to another.

Vacuum tube systems, with their obvious drawbacks of inefficiency, heat,unreliability, size, and high impedance, still command a strong presencein the high-end audio industry. Many listeners find vacuum tubeamplifiers to be more “transparent” than semiconductor systems, meaningthe vacuum tube systems are less prone to the type of semiconductordistortions that change the original characteristics of the musicsignal. The survival of the vacuum tube amplifier defies the logic ofconventional engineering measurements to this day.

For the past two decades, designers of high-end audio equipment havefocused on the task of trying to get solid-state (transistor) amplifiersto sound like vacuum tube amplifiers. These efforts have usually focusedon the measurable distortion characteristics found in many of the oldervacuum tube amplifiers. The human ear finds even-order harmonics to beinherently of a musical nature, and some favored tube amplifiers arerich in these harmonics. Despite these efforts, no designer has yetsucceeded in duplicating the quality of sound generated by tubeamplifiers, as evidenced by the wide variety of designs and systems thatare to be found in the current market, and the continued survival ofvacuum-tube products. The high-end audio music market has not shifted toone type of transistor circuitry as the best design.

The main focus of research for the audio industry has been directedtoward the circuitry. Presently, most high-end manufacturers ofsolid-state amplifiers recommend that their equipment should be “warmedup” before critical listening, but none of the makers have actuallydemonstrated, or even realized, that the sound quality is directlyrelated to the thermal heating of solid-state components. Therecommendation to “warm up” an audio system may originate from theclassical vacuum tube systems in which “warm-up” was necessary foroperation. Most manufacturers need to keep the external casetemperatures low for safety and reliability of audio appliances, andstrive to keep the semiconductors below 60° C.

Class A amplifiers have become popular in recent years due to theirenhanced sound quality. The Class A amplifiers are designed for highoutput-device currents which improve linearity since the devices arealways conducting. In addition to increasing measured linearity, Class Aamplifiers also elevate temperatures of the output devices, though thisis not the stated purpose of the increased current. The consensus isthat the higher the bias currents, as in the class A amplifiers, thebetter the sound, since the circuit becomes more linear. As the currentis increased in the output stage to increase this linearity, everyeffort is made to keep the output device temperature low with largeheatsinks. Despite these improvements, they have not enabled solid-stateaudio systems to obtain the same “transparency” found in vacuum tubesystems. Such Class A amplifiers fail to achieve this goal because theydo not raise the temperature of the output devices sufficiently, andmake no attempt to raise the temperature of the other semiconductordevices in the amplifier, such as those found in the preamplifier stage.

Some of the best available amplifiers have become passive heat managers.They are provided in very large packages that do maintain an elevatedtemperature. Present amplifiers typically maintain the external heatsinktemperature at no more than 60° C., and the junction temperature at nomore than approximately 70° C. The external heatsink temperature muststay low for safety.

A few amplifiers contain thermal monitoring or thermal control devicesto determine the temperature of output devices. These temperaturemonitoring devices are utilized to ensure that the components do notoverheat and therefore are believed to contribute to system reliability.Other thermal control devices are designed to compensate for varyingbias current caused by fluctuating temperature to maintain the signalgain relatively constant.

The present trend in the audio industry is to restrict temperatures ofpower devices. External heatsinks are restricted to about 65° C. Celsiusor lower in order to keep the product safe to touch. Low thermalimpedances are maintained to keep the output devices as close to thistemperature as possible. Inside the case of amplifiers the temperatureis maintained relatively low to ensure long life of components such ascapacitors, which deteriorate with increased heat. Presently, no one inthe audio field has directly addressed the thermal aspect of soundquality enhancement.

There is accordingly a need for an audio system that is capable ofobtaining the transparent sound quality previously found only in vacuumtube systems, while maintaining reliability. The present inventionsatisfies this need, as well as others, and generally overcomes thedeficiencies in the background art.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The invention is an audio sound quality enhancer which provides atransparent sound quality, using solid-state devices, which waspreviously available only in vacuum tube audio systems. In its mostgeneral terms, the invention comprises at least one solid-statecomponent in the audio circuit signal path, and at least one heat sourceconfigured to heat the solid-state component or components. Theinvention increases the sound quality of solid-state audio systems byincreasing the temperature of the semiconductor components involved insound production. By intentionally heating the semiconductor componentsof an audio system above standard operating temperatures, the inventiondelivers sound quality levels normally only associated with vacuum tubesound systems. This invention provides a new class of solid-statesemiconductor audio playing and recording components wherein everydevice in the audio path is deliberately heated to much highertemperatures, while maintaining safe external temperatures and fullreliability on other components which are sensitive to elevatedtemperatures.

The invention further describes an audio device comprised of solid-statesemiconductors where all of the semiconductors in the audio amplifyingpath are actively heated to a junction temperature of at least 60° C.,more preferably at least 80° C, and even more preferably in excess of100° C. The maximum temperature may be substantially above 100° C. Infact, temperatures of at least 125° C., at least 150° C., and at least175° C. are contemplated by this invention. The semiconductor deviceswhich are heated include small-signal devices in addition to high-poweramplifying devices. Operation below the preferred temperature rangeresults in deterioration in sound quality.

The heat source can comprise one or more thermal elements such as aconductive (or radiative) source placed in close proximity to thesolid-state components. This heat source can be placed adjacent to theaudio circuit board or can be an integral part of the board. Along withthe differential amplifier, the output devices should also be allowed torun in excess of 80° C., much warmer than the industry standard. Theinvention also demonstrates that all of the low-power preamplifierdevices should also be run at temperatures in excess of 80° C. toachieve the best performance possible. The inventor has completedexperiments which indicate that raising the temperature above 100° C.continues to improve the sound quality.

An object of the invention is to provide an increase in the soundquality of an audio device by heating the semiconductor components of anaudio circuit board by heating the complete circuit board. It ispreferable to specifically heat only the audio semiconductor componentswith a conductive heat source in order to maintain reliability ofcomponents that cannot tolerate the increased temperature. The heatsource may be mounted on the circuit board or externally located inproximity to the specific solid-state components to be heated forincreased sound quality.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of soundenhancement by heating semiconductor circuitry by applying a heat sourcein close proximity to circuit elements to perform the heating step.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of soundenhancement by running sufficient power through an audio device suchthat it heats itself. The output power devices are suited for this. Theynaturally produce heat, and are in large, thermally efficient packagesthat manage the heat well. An improvement over current technology is toincrease the thermal impedance to the heatsink to allow the devicesthemselves to become much hotter with the same dissipation, and maintainthe same external temperature.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of soundenhancement by using a heat source comprised of a heating element oranother semiconductor, or have the circuit heat itself but control it byway of a thermal heat transfer feedback mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of soundenhancement by heating the semiconductor elements in the audio path byutilizing internal bias currents and voltages as a heat source coupledwith at least one heat transfer device to control semiconductorcomponent temperatures within a desired range.

Another embodiment for the invention is a method of heating thesemiconductor elements in the audio path using at least one additionalelement in the semiconductor package which does not carry audio signalas a heat source. This additional element is coupled with at least oneheat transfer device to control semiconductor component temperaturewithin a desired range.

Another object of the invention is to provide an increase in the soundquality of an audio device by using external heating elements such asresistors, coupled to heat transfer devices to control temperaturewithin a desired range.

Another object of the invention is to provide an increase in the soundquality of an audio device by isolating the semiconductor components inthe audio signal path and mount them on a separate circuit board toallow thermal management thereof.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out inthe following portions of the specification, wherein the detaileddescription is for the purpose of fully disclosing the preferredembodiment of the invention without placing limitations thereon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be more fully understood by reference to thefollowing drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a simplified audio circuit showingselected circuit elements which are heated in accordance with theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of an audio circuit board showingrelative heat profiles (prior art versus invention) of solid-statecomponents on the circuit board.

FIG. 3 is a graphical representation of relative sound qualityenhancement versus solid-state component temperature.

FIG. 4a and FIG. 4b are block diagrams which illustrate two differentways of configuring circuit elements and heating elements on an audiocircuit board in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an audio sound enhancement method inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an alternative audio soundenhancement method in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring more specifically to the drawings, for illustrative purposesthe present invention is embodied in the apparatus and method showngenerally in FIGS. 1 through 6. It will be appreciated that theapparatus may vary as to configuration and as to details of the parts,and that the method may vary as to details and the order of events,without departing from the basic concepts as disclosed herein. Theinvention is disclosed generally in terms of use with simple andrepresentative audio circuits. However, it will be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art that the invention may be applied to variousdevices and different circuit configurations wherein increased soundquality is beneficial.

Referring now to FIG. 1, one presently preferred audio enhancementapparatus 10 in accordance with the invention is shown schematically.The apparatus 10 generally includes dual inputs 12, 14, a differentialinput or amplifier component 16 operatively coupled to inputs 12, 14, aphase splitter or output driver component 18 operatively coupled todifferential amplifier 16, and a “push/pull” output device component 20operatively coupled to the output driver component 18. One or more loaddevices 22, such as a speaker or like sound output device, areoperatively coupled to the output device component 20. The components16, 18, 20 define generally an audio signal path for the apparatus 10.

The apparatus 10 is shown schematically as a simple dual channel audiocircuit. Differential amplifier component 16 includes dual transistors24, 26 together with an associated current source 28. Output drivercomponent 18 includes dual transistors 30, 32 together with anassociated bias voltage source 34. Output device component 20 likewiseincludes dual transistors 36, 38. The apparatus 10 is also configuredfor a load 22.

The components 16, 18, 20 are generally embodied in solid-state deviceswhich are separately packaged and which are mounted on a circuit board(not shown) in a conventional manner. The transistors 24-38 may compriseCMOS, NMOS or bipolar devices.

The apparatus 10 provides enhanced sound quality by heating selectedcomponents or portions of components of apparatus 10 for operation aboveambient temperatures. In this regard, one or more heating elements areincluded with the invention, and are shown as a heating element 39associated with differential amplifier component 16, heating element 40associated with output In driver component 18, and heating element 42associated with output device component 20. Heating elements 39, 40, 42may comprise a variety of conventional conductive heating elements, andmay be integral portions of solid-state components 16, 18, 20, or may beexternal thereto.

Heating elements 39, 40, 42 are preferably located and/or configured toselectively heat the semiconductor portions or elements of solid-statecomponents 16, 18, 20. Thus, heating element 39 is positioned to heat aselected portion or region 44 of differential amplifier component 16which includes transistors 24, 26 and current source 28. Heating element40 is positioned to heat a selected region or portion 46 of outputdriver component 18 which contains transistors 30, 32, 34 (if solidstate components are included therewith) and heating element 42 ispositioned to selectively heat the portion or region 48 of output devicecomponent 20 which contains transistors 36, 38. Additional portions ofsolid-state components 16, 18, 20 may also be heated, although it isbelieved that sound quality enhancement is primarily achieved throughheating of regions 44, 46, 48 as shown.

In the preferred embodiments, regions 44, 46, 48 of solid-statecomponents 16, 18, 20 are heated to, and operated at, a temperature ofat least 60° C. during sound generation or reproduction. Morepreferably, regions 44, 46, 48 are heated in excess of 80° C. Mostpreferably, regions 44, 46, 48 are heated in excess of 100° C. and aremaintained within a temperature range of between approximately 100° C.and the temperature associated with the thermal damage threshold of theapparatus 10 or its individual components. Operation below the preferredtemperature range or threshold results in deterioration in soundquality. It should be noted that additional portions of solid-statecomponents 16, 18, 20 may also be heated, and the entire apparatus 10may be heated to provide sound quality enhancement. More preferably,however, only selected portions 44, 46, 48 are heated for safety and/orreliability reasons.

The apparatus 10 shows merely one possible embodiment of an audio soundenhancer in accordance with the invention, and various other audiocircuit configurations usable with the invention will suggest themselvesto those skilled in the art. Thus, the particular circuit configurationof the apparatus 10 should be recognized as merely exemplary, and notlimiting. Generally, the amplifying devices of the differential inputstage of an audio circuit will provide improved sound quality whenintentionally heated above ambient temperature. The current source mayalso benefit from applied heat thereto, depending on the configurationof the circuit used to generate the current source. Heating of the audiocircuit output drivers also improves the overall sound quality deliveredby an audio circuit. Heating of the semiconductor elements of the biasvoltage source of an audio circuit may also benefit sound quality,depending on the configuration of the circuit used. The audio circuitoutput devices should also be heated for sound quality enhancement.

The apparatus 10 is shown as having three discrete heating elements 39,40, 42 each associated with a separate solid-state component 16, 18, 20.In other embodiments of the invention, the solid-state components 16,18, 20 may be suitably arranged on a circuit board such that a singleheating element provides adequate heating of all solid-state components.In other embodiments of the invention, proper thermal arrangement of thevarious solid-state devices on the circuit board may allow the devicesto sufficiently self-heat themselves. In these embodiments, the audiocircuit components themselves will act as a heat source in accordancewith the invention. Conventional amplifier designs do not achievesufficient heating of solid-state components due to the low thermalimpedance from the junction to the heatsink, which is typically kept at65° C. or lower for safety and/or reliability reasons. One way toincrease the junction temperature of the output devices is throughincreasing the thermal impedance to the heatsink with insulatingmaterials, or the use of additional heating elements to maintainconstant temperature, or a combination of both approaches.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a schematic side view of an audiocircuit board 50 which illustrates one preferred heating arrangement inaccordance with the invention. Circuit board 50 includes a plurality ofheat producing semiconductor elements or components, shown collectivelyas reference number 52. Circuit board 50 also includes a plurality ofcircuit components that are not associated with heating, and which arecollectively designated as reference number 54. Semiconductor elements52 correspond generally to the semiconductor portions of components 16,18, 20 shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 shows a heat profile 56 (solid line) for the semiconductorcomponents 52 mounted on circuit board 50 as occurs under normalindustry operating temperatures. The heat profile 58 (dashed line) showsthe heat profile of semiconductor elements 52 generated by intentionallyheating of components 52 in accordance with the invention. Sound qualityenhancement (SQE) is achieved when the temperature of the heat producingsemiconductor components 52 are intentionally increased by at least oneheat source (not shown). The heating element or elements may be mountedon board 50 proximate to semiconductor components.

Referring next to FIG. 3, there is shown a graphical representation ofthe relative sound quality enhancement versus temperature as provided bythe invention. Several audiophiles evaluated the sound qualityenhancement that was discemable at varying temperatures of the audiosemiconductor components in an audio system wherein heating was providedin accordance with the invention. Below temperatures of 55° C. littlechange in sound quality was detected according to polling opinion of theaudiophiles. A slight increase in sound quality was found within thetemperature range of 55° C. to 75° C. Above 75° C., and particularlyabove 80° C., the sound quality increased further, up to 100° C. Thesound enhancement achieved near 100° C. was thought to approach thetransparency sound generated by tube systems. Additional experimentshave indicated that temperatures above 100° C. result in even bettersound enhancement qualities (data not shown). As indicated above,temperatures of at least 125° C., 150° C., and 175° C. are within thescope of this invention. The limiting factor of a particular transistorfor such beating is the transistor's heat damage threshold. Otherwise,it is clear that heating to that threshold is contemplated and may,given the circuit at issue, be desirable. It should be noted that suchheat damage thresholds for certain modern solid state components areabove 125° C., 150° C., and 175° C. However, it is contemplated thatsuch thresholds will continue to increase, and such increases, thoughpossibly not presently available, are still within the scope of thisinvention. Presently, an upper temperature limit to the soundenhancement effect provided by the invention has not been determined,although it is recognized that an upper limit will be imposed by thematerial limitations of the components of the audio sound enhancementapparatus.

Referring to FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, different arrangements of circuitelements and heating elements in accordance with the invention areshown. In FIG. 4A, an audio circuit board 60 includes a plurality ofsemiconductor components S1, S2, S3, S4, a plurality of capacitiveelements C1, C2, C3, and a plurality of resistive elements R1, R2, R3,which are positioned on board 60 according conventional mountingconsiderations. In order to effectively heat the semiconductor elementsS1, S2, S3, S4 in accordance with the invention, a plurality of heatingelements 62, 64, 66 are positioned in association with board 60 suchthat semiconductor elements S1, S2, S3, S4 are maintained, during soundgeneration, at an operating temperature of at least 60° C., and morepreferably in excess of 80° C., and most preferably in excess of 100° C.In this manner, an audio device of conventional configuration can beheated in accordance with the invention to provide sound qualityenhancement. The heating elements 62, 64, 66 may be mounted on board 60in selected locations to provide the desired heating, or may be externalto board 60 and suitably positioned to provide the desired heating. Thearrangement of FIG. 4A results generally in most or all portions ofboard 60 being equally heated. This equal heating ensures that thesemiconductor elements S1, S2, S3, S4 are adequately heated.

In FIG. 4B, an audio circuit board 68 is shown again having a pluralityof semiconductor components S1, S2, S3, S4, a plurality of capacitiveelements C1, C2, C3, and a plurality of resistive elements R1, R2, R3.On the board 68, the semiconductor elements S1, S2, S3, S4 areselectively positioned proximate to one corner or region 70 of the board68 so that effective heating of semiconductor elements S1, S2, S3, S4 inaccordance with the invention can be more easily and effectivelyachieved by heat sources 72, 74, 76. The arrangement of FIG. 4B may alsopermit use of fewer heat sources than shown, or even a single heatsource. Once again, heat sources 72, 74, 76 may be mounted on board 68,or may be external to board 68. Additionally, less external heating maybe required in this arrangement due to collective thermal heat transferresulting from co-location of the semiconductor components.

Referring now to FIG. 5, one preferred method for providing soundquality enhancement in accordance with the invention is shown. At event100, a solidstate audio circuit is provided. The solid-state audiocircuit will generally include one or more solid-state components orsemiconductor elements which, upon heating as noted above, will resultin sound quality enhancement. The audio circuit may comprise, forexample, the apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1.

At event 110, a heat source is provided to allow heating of thesemiconductor components of the solid-state audio circuit. The heatsource may comprise, for example, the heat sources 39, 40, 42 of theapparatus 10 of FIG. 1. The heat source is positioned to effectivelyheat the semiconductor elements or components of the audio circuit, asrelated above.

At event 120, the semiconductor circuit components of the audio circuitare heated to above 60° C. More preferably, the semiconductor componentsare heated in excess of 80° C. as described above, and most preferablyin excess of 100° C. This is achieved by conduction of heat from theheat source to the semiconductor components.

At event 130, the temperature of the semiconductor components aremaintained at or above 60° C., and more preferably above 80° C., andmost preferably above 100° C. This is again achieved by conduction ofheat from the heat source to the semiconductor components.

Referring now to FIG. 6, another method for providing sound qualityenhancement in accordance with the invention is shown. At event 140, asolid-state audio circuit is provided in the manner described above. Atevent 150, a heat source is provided to allow heating of thesemiconductor components of the solid-state audio circuit, as alsodescribed above.

At event 160, the temperature of the semiconductor components isadjusted by controlling the amount of heat provided to the semiconductorcomponents. This event is generally carried out by selectively varyingthe power to the heating element or elements to control the amount ofconductive heat provided to the semiconductor elements.

At event 170, the temperature of the semiconductor components ismonitored or detected by one or more sensor or sensor elements which arepositioned in association with the semiconductor components. In thisregard, the apparatus 10, for example, may include a plurality of sensorelements positioned adjacent to regions 44, 46, 48 to monitor thetemperature of the semiconductor elements in regions 44, 46, 48. Avariety of conventional heat sensing devices may be used in this event.

At event 180, a query is made, by simple logic associated with thesensing of event 170, as to whether the temperature of semiconductorcomponents detected in event 170 is optimal. Optimal temperature willgenerally be at least 60° C., and more preferably at least 80° C., andmost preferably above 100° C., as noted above. If the temperature of thesemiconductor components detected in event 170 is non-optimal, event 160is repeated. If the temperature is optimal, event 190 is carried out.

At event 190, the temperature of the semiconductor components, which wasdetermined to be optimal in event 180, is maintained at the optimaltemperature. Event 170 is generally carried out simultaneously withevent 190, and if a non-optimal temperature is detected during themaintaining of temperature, event 160 will be carried out again toadjust the heat delivered to the semiconductor components.

The present invention demonstrates that superior sound quality can beobtained by elevating the temperature of audio semiconducting devices.Heat is the dominant factor in producing “transparent” sound fromsolid-state audio systems, and is a novel and unique aspect of soundproduction that the audio industry has heretofore failed to realize. Theactive heating of semiconductor devices as provided by the invention isto some extent contrary to the general industry trend to miniaturize andreduce cost, although it is possible to achieve these goals if thermaldesign is carefully considered.

The present invention is applicable to all audio playing or reproductiondevices, as well as to audio devices associated with sound recording.Such devices include, without limitation: power amplifiers,preamplifiers, line stages, tape players and recorders, CD and DVDplayers and recorders, TV audio preamplifiers and power amplifiers, VCRaudio preamplifiers and power amplifiers.

Accordingly, it will be seen that this invention provides increasedsound quality enhancement to audio devices. Although the descriptionabove contains many specificities, these should not be construed aslimiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing anillustration of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention.Thus the scope of this invention should be determined by the appendedclaims and their legal equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An audio sound quality enhancer comprising atleast one solid-state component in an audio signal path; and at leastone heat source configured to heat said at least one solid-statecomponent.
 2. The audio sound quality enhancer of claim 1 wherein saidat least one solid-state component in said audio signal path is heatedto a junction temperature of at least 60° C.
 3. The audio sound qualityenhancer of claim 1 wherein said at least one solid-state component insaid audio signal path is heated to a junction temperature range of atleast 80° C.
 4. The audio sound quality enhancer of claim 1 wherein saidat least one solid-state component in said audio signal path is heatedto a junction temperature range of between approximately 80° C. andapproximately 100° C.
 5. The audio sound quality enhancer of claim 1wherein said at least one solid-state component in said audio signalpath is heated to a junction temperature of at least 100° C.
 6. Theaudio sound quality enhancer of claim 1 wherein said at least onesolid-state component in said audio signal path is heated to a junctiontemperature of at least 125° C.
 7. The audio sound quality enhancer ofclaim 1 wherein said at least one solid-state component in said audiosignal path is heated to a junction temperature of at least 150° C. 8.The audio sound quality enhancer of claim 1 wherein said at least onesolid-state component in said audio signal path is heated to a junctiontemperature of at least 175° C.
 9. The audio sound quality enhancer ofclaim 1 wherein said at least one solid-state component is mounted on acircuit board, and said at least one heat source is associated with saidcircuit board.
 10. The audio sound quality enhancer of claim 1 whereinsaid at least one solid-state component comprises; (a) a differentialamplifier; (b) an output driver; and (c) an output device.
 11. The audiosound quality enhancer of claim 9 wherein said at least one heat sourceis adjacent to said circuit board and positioned to heat said at leastone solid-state component.
 12. The audio sound quality enhancer of claim9 wherein said heat source is mounted on said circuit board andpositioned to heat said at least one solid-state component.
 13. Theaudio sound quality enhancer of claim 10, wherein said differentialamplifier, said output driver, and said output device are selectivelypositioned on said circuit board such that they are proximate to said atleast one heat source.
 14. A method for generating audio soundcomprising: (a) providing an audio circuit having at least onesolid-state component therein; and (b) heating said at least onesolid-state component to at least 60° C.
 15. The method of claim 14,wherein said heating of said at least one solid-state component iscarried out to at least 80° C.
 16. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising monitoring temperature of said at least one solid-statecomponent.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein said heating of said atleast one solid-state component is carried out to at least 100° C. 18.The method of claim 15, wherein said heating of said at least onesolid-state component is carried out to at least 125° C.
 19. The methodof claim 15, wherein said heating of said at least one solid-statecomponent is carried out to at least 150° C.
 20. The method of claim 15,wherein said heating of said at least one solid-state component iscarried out to at least 175° C.
 21. The method of claim 16 furthercomprising adjusting said heating of said heating of at least onesolid-state component when said temperature of said solid-statecomponent falls below 60° C.